Irrigation water is commonly pumped through filters and conduits to emitters which discharge the irrigation water onto the plants. It is critical that the designed flow rates be maintained, particularly in low flow (e.g. drip) irrigation networks. In these networks, even a small drop in the flow rate will damage the plants. As explained in U.S. Pat. No. 6,350,410 B1, granted Feb. 26, 2002, to Carl E. Iverson and Joyce Prindle, biological fouling can develop buildups resulting in the loss of flow rate through the irrigation network. It is common to feed micronutrients such as iron to promote plant growth. When mineral micronutrients are being fed to the plants, oxidizers cause them to precipitate out of solution, compounding the plugging of low flow emitters. Oxidizers such as chlorine gas and hydrogen peroxide have been used to treat the irrigation water but such treatment has had a limited effect on biofilms and a negative affect on the formation of mineral deposits. Oxidizing compounds do not prevent crystalline mineral structures at emitter tips.
There is a need for a method of promoting unrestricted flow of irrigation water through the low flow rate emitters that discharge the water onto the plants. Specifically, there is a need for effectively eliminating both biofilm and mineral deposit restrictions and plugging of low flow emitters in irrigation networks. A principal object of this invention is to meet this need.